The Leech Makes A Comeback

[Guest]

The leech makes a comeback

Medicine has come a long way in a very short space of time. It seems only yesterday that our forefathers were putting leeches on patients. Perish the thought! Today, after billions of dollars of research, we have sophisticated drugs and therapies to treat the patient. Oh yes, and leeches, too.

Yup, leeches are making a big comeback, and doctors reckon they are the best way of getting rid of a massive hematoma, or major blood clot. Thirteen of the little blood-suckers went to work on one patient with a hematoma in his right forearm, and they removed 145 ml of blood in no time at all. The patient made an instant recovery.

This is great news for everyone except the drugs companies, whose billions of dollars of research have resulted in trillions of dollars of profit. They need to patent the leech immediately. How about Leecho as a possible name? Just trying to help out.

(Source: Journal of Neurological and Neurosurgical Psychiatry, 2005; 76: 1465).